How much will the new EF 800 f/5.6L IS II cost?

[mackguyver]

How did the prices change when the 300, 400 and 600 Mark IIs were launched? How much more were they when they came out compared to the Mark Is?

The MkII versions of the 300, 400, 500 and 600mm supertele lenses launched at price increases of 40-50% over their predecessors.  An equivalent increase would put the 800/5.6 II at ~$19,000, give or take a few hundred.

That would line up pretty well with the Nikon, but will Canon throw in a custom extender

Again, it would have to be an amazing lens to justify $19k, with or without an extender.

800mm is pretty long, so the 600 f4L IS II gives you better close(r) range capability and you have excellent performance with th 1.4xIII. I had the same issue with the 400 f2.8L IS II, before buying the 600. With the 1.4x and 2x extenders it gives you very good focal length alternatives. It works well at 640mm, but the IQ at 800 is significantly behind the 840 you get with the 600, with which you can go to 1200. With the 400 you get f2.8, which is a very usable feature, wheras with the 800 you get same f-stops as the 600 with extenders.

At 19k you get a 600 with a 1DX hooked on ... So, to justify that price tag, the 800 would have to be truly exceptional.

All very true, and Canon may have to use more of that stuff that Nikon said for years wasn't any good (until the 800mm), what was it called, oh yeah, fluorite - AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR:

Fluorite (x2), ED glass (x2) and Nano Crystal Coat are employed, realizing high optical performance with minimal chromatic aberration

Except they forgot to update their website Glossary, LOL:

ED glass - an essential element of NIKKOR telephoto lenses

Nikon developed ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass to enable the production of lenses that offer superior sharpness and color correction by minimizing chromatic aberration.
Put simply, chromatic aberration is a type of image and color dispersion that occurs when light rays of varying wavelengths pass through optical glass. In the past, correcting this problem for telephoto lenses required special optical elements that offer anomalous dispersion characteristics - specifically calcium fluoride crystals. However, fluorite easily cracks and is sensitive to temperature changes that can adversely affect focusing by altering the lens' refractive index.

So Nikon designers and engineers put their heads together and came up with ED glass, which offers all the benefits, yet none of the drawbacks of calcium fluorite-based glass. With this innovation, Nikon developed several types of ED glass suitable for various lenses.

They deliver stunning sharpness and contrast even at their largest apertures. In this way, NIKKOR’s ED-series lenses exemplify Nikon’s preeminence in lens innovation and performance.

[neuroanatomist]

I guess I'm counting on Canon's comfortability as market leader to influence their pricing.

I agree...but whereas you seem to think that will result in a lower price, I'd argue that it will result in a higher price.  "He who has the gold makes the rules..."

[unfocused]

The poll needs to be amended to include an arm and a leg.

[expatinasia]

The poll needs to be amended to include an arm and a leg.

True!

So far it seems 47.4% of people that voted think that it will be between US$ 15,000 and US$ 18,000.

[Lightmaster]

well one thing that sucks is that canon gives only 1 year warranty, while nikon offers 5 years for the 800mm f5.6. at least in the USA.

so lets hope when canons new 800mm will cost 18000$ they will raise the warranty time too.....

[expatinasia]

well one thing that sucks is that canon gives only 1 year warranty, while nikon offers 5 years for the 800mm f5.6. at least in the USA.

so lets hope when canons new 800mm will cost 18000$ they will raise the warranty time too.....

I did not know that.

[Hannes]

The majority of the market for a 800mm f5.6 isn't really going to be bothered about what it costs as long as it isn't outrageous. If the lens is better than the previous version they will upgrade to the new without a doubt. A few thousand dollar isn't here nor there for this end of the market and as a result canon will charge whatever the monkey throwing the darts comes up with.

[expatinasia]

The majority of the market for a 800mm f5.6 isn't really going to be bothered about what it costs as long as it isn't outrageous. If the lens is better than the previous version they will upgrade to the new without a doubt. A few thousand dollar isn't here nor there for this end of the market and as a result canon will charge whatever the monkey throwing the darts comes up with.

I still think the price point is important. Of course some will buy it no matter what it costs, but those buyer numbers will surely differ - and possibly quite substantially - if it costs US$12,000, US$ 19,999 or US$ 25,000.

[Vern]

Per my prior post on this topic, if the new 800 has an MFD <5m, built-in TC, superior IQ at 800 as compared to the 600II + 1.4XIII, IQ at 1120 = 600 + 1.4, and weighs less than 4 kg, I will purchase one even if it is priced a little north of the Nikon 800. These may be tough specs to meet, but the other series II superT's made improvements along these lines.